Armenian government approves bill to launch EU accession bid

FILE PHOTO: European Union flags fly outside the EU Commission headquarters in Brussels, Belgium September 19, 2019. REUTERS/Yves Herman/File Photo

(Reuters) - Armenia's government on Thursday gave approval to a bill that calls for the country, once part of the Soviet Union, to launch a bid to join the European Union.

Armenia has in recent years deepened ties with the West at the expense of its traditionally close relations with Moscow, which it has accused of failing to defend it from longtime rival Azerbaijan.